World Tag Team Championship (WWE)
::Please note that this page is specifically for the history of the WWE Tag Team Championship which was unified with the WWE Tag Team Championships. For the titles defended together please refer to WWE Unified Tag Team Championship. '' ::''Please refer to WWE Tag Team Championship for current Tag Team updates as individual Edge | firstchamp = Luke Graham and Tarzan Tyler }} The World Tag Team Championship was the original professional wrestling world tag team championship contested for in World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The championship was generally contested in professional wrestling matches, in which participants execute scripted finishes rather than contend in direct competition. History The World Tag Team Championship was originally known as the "World Wide Wrestling Federation (WWWF) World Tag Team Championship". Following the title's introduction in 1971, Luke Graham and Tarzan Tyler became the inaugural champions on June 3. In 1979, the title became known as the "World Wrestling Federation (WWF) World Tag Team Championship" when the promotion was renamed the World Wrestling Federation. It began to be referred to as the "WWF Tag Team Championship" for short in the mid 1990s. In March 2001, the World Wrestling Federation purchased World Championship Wrestling. Soon after, "The Invasion" took place in which the WCW/ECW Alliance was ultimately dismantled. At the 2001 Survivor Series pay-per-view, the title was unified with WCW Tag Team Championship in a Steel cage match. The WCW Tag Team Champions, the Dudley Boyz, defeated the WWF Tag Team Champions, the Hardy Boyz, and were named the last WCW Tag Team Champions while becoming the new WWF Tag Team Champions. After the WWF/WWE name change in 2002, the championship was subsequently referred to as the "World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) Tag Team Championship". Then, during a period of open free agency after the Brand Extension, the Tag Team Champions were signed to appear and defend the title on the Raw brand only, leaving the SmackDown! brand without a tag team title. As a result, SmackDown! General Manager, Stephanie McMahon, commissioned a new WWE Tag Team Championship to be the exclusive tag team title for the SmackDown! brand. With the introduction of the World Heavyweight Championship on the Raw brand after the WWE Championship was moved to the SmackDown! brand, the Tag Team Championship on Raw was now being referred to as the "World Tag Team Championship". This was done so that the names of both tag team titles would mirror the names of the top championships on their respective brands. When the WWE Championship and World Heavyweight Championship switched brands during the 2005 WWE Draft Lottery, however, neither of the tag team titles were renamed. On April 5, 2009 at WrestleMania XXV, WWE Tag Team Champions The Colóns defeated World Tag Team Champions John Morrison and The Miz to unify both titles into what WWE referred to as the "Unified WWE Tag Team Championship." On the August 16, 2010 episode of Raw, the unified titles were consolidated into one championship with the physical representation of one set of belts, presented to then-champions The Hart Dynasty (David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd). WWE confirmed via their website that this title would be retired in favor of having the WWE Tag Team Championship continued in being defended as WWE's sole tag team championship. Names Reigns The final champions were The Hart Dynasty (David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd), who were in their first reign. They won the titles from ShoMiz (The Big Show and The Miz) on the April 26, 2010 edition of Raw. After the retirement of the World Tag Team Championship, the duo continued to serve as the WWE Tag Team Champions until their loss of the titles at Night of Champions on September 19, 2010. Designs Wwwf-world_tag_1971.png|WWWF Tag Team Championship (1971-1972) Wwwf-world_tag_1972-1982.png|WWWF Tag Team Championship/WWF Tag Team Championship (1972-1982) Wwwf-world_tag_1982-1985.png|WWF Tag Team Championship (1982-1984) Wwf-world_tag_1985.png|WWF Tag Team Championship (1984-1985) TagTeamChampionship.png|WWF Tag Team Championship (1985-1998) WWF World Tag Team Championship 1998-2002.jpg|WWF Tag Team Championship (1998-2002) WWE World Tag Team Championship (2002).jpg|WWE World Tag Team Championship (2002) WWE World Tag Team Championship.png|WWE World Tag Team Championship (2002-2010) See also *World Wrestling Entertainment *Champion history - History of the wrestlers who have held the belt. *Title matches - Matches in which the title was defended. *Champion gallery - A gallery of all champions. External links *World Tag Team Championship (WWE) at WWE.com * World Tag Team Championship (WWE) at CAGEMATCH.net ro:World Tag Team Championship (WWE) Category:World Wrestling Entertainment championships Category:Tag team championships Category:Tag team wrestling championships